Are golf courses and tourist resorts mortgaged to traditional Tour Operations and OTAs (Online Travel Agencies)?
Undoubtedly, it is a topic that deserves detailed analysis, since different factors can lead to tourist resorts and golf courses depending exclusively on these sales channels. After several meetings with executives of large vacation resorts and commercial directors, I have come to the conclusion that, although each one has its own commercial policy, many still do not analyze the segmentation possibilities of their marketing channels or how to manage them efficiently.
Factors influencing the segmentation of the sales channel
Geographical location
Depending on the location of the resort, it is key to analyze the sales potential to local, regional, or national clients. For example, there are island destinations that depend heavily on different sales channels due to their geographical isolation.Market niches that demand your product
Climate, sun, infrastructures, sports facilities, and nature are factors that can condition dependence on certain markets, especially in tourist destinations aimed at clients from central and northern Europe.Dependence on customer emitting hubs
- Does your golf course depend on a hotel that generates clientele?
- Does the hotel require leisure centers, national and international events, or local activities to attract visitors?
- Many tourist resorts depend on these customer emitting hubs, which can make them vulnerable to market changes.
As they often say:
“It is very nice to live on the main street, and very lucky for those who know how to take advantage of their resources. But the reality is that not all of us live on that famous street. And even those who live there cannot mortgage all their products and services there.“
Conventional contracting is becoming obsolete
We find ourselves in a time of commercial transition, in which it is no longer enough to channel our services through intermediaries. Now it is necessary to seek alternatives in the face of possible crises that may affect business generators.
Some examples of situations that have shaken the industry:
- “Dot com” crisis, which affected many digital companies.
- Decrease in the volume of British clients due to the emergence of new tourist destinations.
- The fateful “September 11”, which paralyzed sales to the North American market.
This is not an attack on these great collaborators, as they continue to be necessary marketing channels for tourist resorts. However, depending on them for more than 25% of production is a risk that must be managed with a diversified strategy. Why not sell green fees online?
